Schedule

In the 1930s, Japanese designers created a range of warplanes, culminating in the legendary Ki-43 Oscar and the A6M Zero. As the war turned against Japan, designers created the rocket-powered Shusui, the Kikka jet fighter, and the experimental R2Y Keiun. We also disclose frantic preparations to assemble a secret airforce of jet and rocket planes to counter an anticipated US invasion in1945, and chronicle post-war aviation and the birth of the Japanese rocket program in the 1950s and '60s.

The Harlem Hellfighters documents the hard fighting regiment of Black soldiers, who battled shocking racism at home and abroad while fighting the Germans in World War I. The Hellfighters, who saw more time on the frontlines than any other American regiment, were initially heralded upon their return only to quickly be discarded by the Army and country they served so valiantly. This one-hour documentary tells the important story of this courageous group, who included bandleader James Reese Europe and Purple Heart winner Henry Johnson. Their extreme bravery earned them the French regimental Croix de Guerre a century before the U.S. finally recognized their contributions to the war effort with a Congressional Gold Medal.

World War Two was truly a global conflict. Allied soldiers fought in all theaters of war, exposing them to an extraordinary diversity of terrain and climate--from the Arctic Circle to desert sands and fetid jungles. An infantryman was engaged in combat for an hour each day on average, but he fought the environment around the clock. The war comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, and color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates.

In this 2-hour special, we hear from: 5 survivors from the Oklahoma, which was hit with 9 torpedoes during the Pearl Harbor attack; British prisoners of war who used an athletic vaulting horse to conceal the tunnel they were digging at Stalag Luft 3; three Dunkirk survivors; four Canadian P.O.W.s from an Italian camp, who in 1943, participated in a massive breakout; and German pilot Ulrich Steinhilper, who was shipped to a Canadian camp and became one of WWII's most dedicated escapers.

In the early morning of June 6, 1944, history's largest amphibious invasion force amassed off the Normandy coast. Hundreds of 36-foot shoebox-shaped boats, known as LCVPs, or Higgins Boats, bob in the waves. These landing craft, which deliver soldiers to the beach, are designed and built largely through the efforts of one man--Andrew Jackson Higgins. We examine Higgins' life and study the boat that could land a platoon of 36 men with equipment, or a jeep and 12 men. By 4 AM on June 6, 1944, the first wave of Higgins Boats is loaded with troops for the 12-mile journey to the Omaha and Utah Beaches. The first wave of landings is close to disastrous, but as wave after wave of Higgins Boats unload, the tide begins to turn.

The Allies take on the daunting forces of the Axis, with victory far from certain. Charles Scheffel battles Rommel's forces in Tunisia and Jack Werner faces bitter combat in the northern Pacific.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

Informational programming.

World War Two was truly a global conflict. Allied soldiers fought in all theaters of war, exposing them to an extraordinary diversity of terrain and climate--from the Arctic Circle to desert sands and fetid jungles. An infantryman was engaged in combat for an hour each day on average, but he fought the environment around the clock. The war comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, and color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates.

In this 2-hour special, we hear from: 5 survivors from the Oklahoma, which was hit with 9 torpedoes during the Pearl Harbor attack; British prisoners of war who used an athletic vaulting horse to conceal the tunnel they were digging at Stalag Luft 3; three Dunkirk survivors; four Canadian P.O.W.s from an Italian camp, who in 1943, participated in a massive breakout; and German pilot Ulrich Steinhilper, who was shipped to a Canadian camp and became one of WWII's most dedicated escapers.

In the early morning of June 6, 1944, history's largest amphibious invasion force amassed off the Normandy coast. Hundreds of 36-foot shoebox-shaped boats, known as LCVPs, or Higgins Boats, bob in the waves. These landing craft, which deliver soldiers to the beach, are designed and built largely through the efforts of one man--Andrew Jackson Higgins. We examine Higgins' life and study the boat that could land a platoon of 36 men with equipment, or a jeep and 12 men. By 4 AM on June 6, 1944, the first wave of Higgins Boats is loaded with troops for the 12-mile journey to the Omaha and Utah Beaches. The first wave of landings is close to disastrous, but as wave after wave of Higgins Boats unload, the tide begins to turn.

The Allies take on the daunting forces of the Axis, with victory far from certain. Charles Scheffel battles Rommel's forces in Tunisia and Jack Werner faces bitter combat in the northern Pacific.

In the 1930s, Japanese designers created a range of warplanes, culminating in the legendary Ki-43 Oscar and the A6M Zero. As the war turned against Japan, designers created the rocket-powered Shusui, the Kikka jet fighter, and the experimental R2Y Keiun. We also disclose frantic preparations to assemble a secret airforce of jet and rocket planes to counter an anticipated US invasion in1945, and chronicle post-war aviation and the birth of the Japanese rocket program in the 1950s and '60s.

The Harlem Hellfighters documents the hard fighting regiment of Black soldiers, who battled shocking racism at home and abroad while fighting the Germans in World War I. The Hellfighters, who saw more time on the frontlines than any other American regiment, were initially heralded upon their return only to quickly be discarded by the Army and country they served so valiantly. This one-hour documentary tells the important story of this courageous group, who included bandleader James Reese Europe and Purple Heart winner Henry Johnson. Their extreme bravery earned them the French regimental Croix de Guerre a century before the U.S. finally recognized their contributions to the war effort with a Congressional Gold Medal.

World War Two was truly a global conflict. Allied soldiers fought in all theaters of war, exposing them to an extraordinary diversity of terrain and climate--from the Arctic Circle to desert sands and fetid jungles. An infantryman was engaged in combat for an hour each day on average, but he fought the environment around the clock. The war comes alive through a moving tapestry of letters, diaries, and color film and photographs unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates.

In this 2-hour special, we hear from: 5 survivors from the Oklahoma, which was hit with 9 torpedoes during the Pearl Harbor attack; British prisoners of war who used an athletic vaulting horse to conceal the tunnel they were digging at Stalag Luft 3; three Dunkirk survivors; four Canadian P.O.W.s from an Italian camp, who in 1943, participated in a massive breakout; and German pilot Ulrich Steinhilper, who was shipped to a Canadian camp and became one of WWII's most dedicated escapers.

In the early morning of June 6, 1944, history's largest amphibious invasion force amassed off the Normandy coast. Hundreds of 36-foot shoebox-shaped boats, known as LCVPs, or Higgins Boats, bob in the waves. These landing craft, which deliver soldiers to the beach, are designed and built largely through the efforts of one man--Andrew Jackson Higgins. We examine Higgins' life and study the boat that could land a platoon of 36 men with equipment, or a jeep and 12 men. By 4 AM on June 6, 1944, the first wave of Higgins Boats is loaded with troops for the 12-mile journey to the Omaha and Utah Beaches. The first wave of landings is close to disastrous, but as wave after wave of Higgins Boats unload, the tide begins to turn.

The Allies take on the daunting forces of the Axis, with victory far from certain. Charles Scheffel battles Rommel's forces in Tunisia and Jack Werner faces bitter combat in the northern Pacific.

Doug Scott, a field archaeologist, is acknowledged as one of the premier experts on Custer's Last Stand. Scott has always wanted to see this dark moment in American military history through the eyes of survivor Lieutenant Edward Godfrey. His knowledge would be key to finally bringing the entire story to light with a team of Hollywood producers. He may know the history, but it was up to the production team to make his vision a reality. Scott wrangles the team to Hardin, Montana to finally re-create the battle of Little Bighorn correctly. Would movie magic, teamed with Scott's knowledge, bring new insight to this important moment in history?

The Marines assault Tarawa in one of the bloodiest battles yet waged. MacArthur island-hops and Italy's front lines claim a casualty.

The Allies lay plans for the invasion of France; Bert Stiles and the 8th Air Force attempt to clear the skies over Normandy, while the Pacific remains a quagmire. D-Day arrives.

Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg worked in Budapest at the height of Hitler's "Final Solution", and saw Jews being loaded onto trains destined for Nazi concentration camps. But Wallenberg, unlike many others, refused to sit by idly, but rather, saved many earmarked for death by issuing Swedish immunity passes. Before disappearing in 1945, he's thought to have rescued 100,000 people. We follow the trail uncovered by his family and researchers in their hunt for the truth as to his fate.

It's been said that war is 90% boredom mixed with 10% sheer terror. The Allied servicemen of WWII spent a majority of their time in what normally would be called "everyday" activities. Eating, sleeping, reading and writing letters--trying to snatch a few moments of enjoyment in the midst of the titanic conflict. Veterans describe how they spent those brief interludes that became treasured wartime memories. With vivid color film unearthed from archives and personal collections. Peter Coyote narrates.

In this 2-hour special, we hear from: 5 survivors from the Oklahoma, which was hit with 9 torpedoes during the Pearl Harbor attack; British prisoners of war who used an athletic vaulting horse to conceal the tunnel they were digging at Stalag Luft 3; three Dunkirk survivors; four Canadian P.O.W.s from an Italian camp, who in 1943, participated in a massive breakout; and German pilot Ulrich Steinhilper, who was shipped to a Canadian camp and became one of WWII's most dedicated escapers.